List of English words of Dravidian origin

From unknown or disputed Dravidian languages

• , a word used to express distress, regret and fear, either from Tamil aiyō, Sinhalese ayiyō, or Kannada ayyo or Malayalam aiyyo.
• Betel, a leaf of a vine belonging to the family Piperaceae; from Portuguese betel, which probably comes from Malayalam badal or Tamil.
• Candy, crystallized sugar or confection made from sugar; via Persian qand, which is probably from a Dravidian language, ultimately stemming from the Sanskrit root word 'Khanda'.
• Coir, cord/rope, fibre from husk of coconut; from Malayalam kayar or Tamil kayiru. The origin of this word cannot be conclusively attributed to Malayalam or Tamil.
• Congee, porridge, water with rice; uncertain origin, possibly from Tamil kanji, Telugu or Kannada gañji, or Malayalam kaṇni
• Coolie, a labourer or slave, a South Asian person; possibly from Tamil cooli or Malayalam kooli "labour", or possibly from Koḷī "Gujarati people" in Gujarati, which is not a Dravidian language
• Cot, a bedstead or a portable bed; via Hindi from Sanskrit, which in turn may have come from a Dravidian source such as Tamil patukkai or Malayalam kattil.
• Cowry, the shells of certain sea snails, or the snails themselves; via Hindi and Urdu from Sanskrit kaparda, which may be related to Tamil kotu "shell" or Malayalam Kottu.
• Curry, a variety of dishes flavored with a spicy sauce; cognates exist in several Dravidian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and others.
• Ginger, a fragrant spice; exact route from Dravidian is uncertain, but possibly from Tamil inchi or Malayalam inchi
• Godown, synonym to warehouse; English from Malay, which in turn may have borrowed it from Telugu giḍangi, Tamil kiṭanku, or Malayalam kidangu.
• Gunny, an inexpensive bag; from Sanskrit via Hindi and Marathi, perhaps ultimately from a Dravidian language such as Tulu,In Malayalam Chakku.
• Hot toddy, beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices; from Hindi tari "palm sap", probably from a Dravidian language
• Jaggery, coarse brown sugar made from palm and sugarcane; via Portuguese jágara probably from Malayalam chakkara/sharkkara or Kannada sakkare, having its origins in Sanskrit.
• Mango, A tropical fruit;origin probably from Malayalam or Tamil.
• Mongoose, a small carnivorous mammal from southern Eurasia or Africa, known for killing snakes; probably ultimately from a Dravidian language, with spelling influenced by the English word goose
• Mung, a type of bean; ultimately from Sanskrit mudga, which is the name of the bean and the plant, perhaps via Tamil mūngu "soak", or Malayalam mudra. Alternately, perhaps from mũg, the name of the bean in Hindi, which is not a Dravidian language.
• Orange, a citrus fruit, or a color named for the fruit; cognates exist in several Dravidian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu.
• Pagoda, a religious building; etymology uncertain but perhaps influenced by Tamil pagavadi "house belonging to a deity" or Malayalam "Pakkavada".
• Pariah, a social outcast; from Tamil paṟaiyar or Malayalam paṟayan, "drummer".
• Peacock, a type of bird; from Old English pawa, the earlier etymology is uncertain, but one possible source is Tamil tokei "peacock feather", via Latin or Greek
• Sambal, a spicy condiment; from Malay, which may have borrowed the word from a Dravidian language such as Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam.
• Teak, a tropical hardwood tree; called tekku in Tamil, thekku in Malayalam, Telugu teku, and Kannada tegu

  Malayalam

Tamil

Telugu

Kannada